Roommate For Sale
by SavageTrickster
Summary: AU. There are many things in life that she didn't know, but the one thing Kurosaki Karin was certain of is that her overprotective brother is going to blow his top when he meets her new roommate. HitsuKarin, implied Ichiruki.
1. Males Only

**A/N:** So I've always been a big fan of HitsuKarin and always wanted to write a fanfic about them. I had two HitsuKarin fanfics in the past but I deleted because I didn't like them. But I'll finish this one for sure. Unlike the previous two, this one is an AU fic. I hope you'll like it!

 **Disclaimer: Bleach does not belong to me but to Tite Kubo sensei. If it did, Karin would be a shinigami . The songs mentioned in this fic also do not belong to me, but to their amazing artistes. I apologize for any grammatical errors and any inaccuracy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1 -** Males Only

* * *

Kurosaki Karin gazed out the window, chin resting heavily on her supporting hand and onyx eyes staring dully at the shifting sceneries outside the bullet train. 'The Beginning' by One OK Rock was playing from her headphone but not a word or even its loud, catchy tune was heard. With her wandering mind, everything seemed to be blending into the background.

Graduated from high school and successfully accepted into Seireitei University, one of the most prestigious university in Japan, the nineteen year old was now on the Shinkansen bullet train heading for Tokyo. While she was happy that they had accepted her, leaving her hometown was not exactly as exciting or something to be glad about.

Born and raised in Karakura Town, she was deeply attached to it and to the people in it. Especially her girlier, prettier twin sister, Kurosaki Yuzu who had enrolled into a fashion school in Karakura. Not needing to leave the town for her school, she was of course, living with their goofy father and doctor of their neighbourhood, Kurosaki Isshin.

Her older brother, Kurosaki Ichigo was happily married to Kuchiki Rukia and they are living on the other side of Karakura Town, thank god. She just felt like gagging every time she caught them doing lovely dovey stuff. Yuck!

And now she was travelling to a foreign city full of strangers for a completely new school.

Just great.

Karin let out a silent sigh.

* * *

As the taxi pulled into the spacious driveway of Seireitei University, Karin leaned over to the window and peeked out at the approaching campus. Her eyes sprang wide in awe at what greeted her. It was huge! She felt a thrill of exhilaration for the first time of the day run up her spine.

Before her eyes could finish exploring the buildings, the taxi came to a gentle halt at the drop-off point.

"Let's go get your luggage, miss." The taxi driver turned to her with a polite smile before stepping out of the vehicle. Getting out of the backseat, Karin pushed the door closed and strode over to the boot where the driver had already started unloading her bags.

Once her luggage were placed on the sidewalk with her help, the driver turned to her, wrinkles at the sides of his eyes mapping out when he smiled. "First year, you say?"

Like a cue, the memory of the conversation she had with him during the ride from the train station surfaced.

"Yeah, first year." Karin replied, scratching the back of her neck.

The driver chuckled. "Starting a new school can be quite daunting, huh. Good luck and work hard!"

"I will." Karin handed him the taxi fare with a slight grin. "Thanks."

Giving her a thumbs-up, the driver went back into his taxi and drove off.

Turning around to face the campus, Karin felt the thrill of exhilaration come back to her as she admired the chic look it bore.

The exterior walls of Seireitei University's main building were made of massive steel framed windows that covered the campus from the ground, up to the roof and over to the other side like a blanket. And from where she stood, she could see more similarly designed buildings peeking from behind the main one.

Glancing down at her watch, Karin swung her duffel bag onto a shoulder and the mesh bag holding her soccer ball over the other as she stepped out of the sheltered drop-off area, dragging her luggage along with her.

Making her way across a short pedestrian crossing, she gauged that it would take another five minutes for her to make her way through the wide courtyard to the main building.

Looking around the courtyard, she noticed there was barely anyone here. So far, she only spotted two men smoking by a bin at the far end to her left.

But of course, it was not too surprising for a school to be nearly empty on a Saturday.

Finally reaching the main building, what greeted her behind the sliding doors lifted her mood even further. Like what she had saw from the outside, the framed windows made the walls around her and so was the ceiling, allowing natural light from the outside to filter into the building.

Breaking into a grin, Karin made her way to the administration office right by the main door.

It looked like she was going to have a great school year, she could almost feel it.

* * *

"May I take a look at your acceptance letter?" The burly man behind the counter, Jidanbo Ikkanzaka as stated on his name tag, asked in a voice thick and slurred.

Pulling a folded paper out of her duffel bag, Karin passed it to the man and watched him return his attention to the screen. Drumming her fingers against the counter absentmindedly, she boredly looked on as his fingers ran across the keyboard.

"You're Kurosaki Karin and you're taking a three-year degree course in Banking and Finance, am I right?" Jidanbo asked, but this time his eyes never left the screen.

"Yeah."

Grown bored of watching the admin, Karin glanced around the office briefly and was about to turn back to him when a tall man with long black hair and cold eyes stepped through the office door.

"Kuchiki-sensei, how may I help you?" Karin heard the Jidanbo guy ask.

 _Did he just call this dude Kuchiki? Could he be…?_

Karin watched the tall man approach them with mild curiosity and noticed that there was a sort of grace in the way the man walked despite his rather tall build.

 _Nah, Rukia told me she was born and raised in Karakura as well. This is probably just a coincidence. 'Kuchiki' is more common than I thought, I guess._

"The key, Jidanbo-san, I need the key to the conference room at the East building now." The man barely spared her a glance.

The man behind the counter immediately shot up from his seat and hurried to the back, disappearing into a room with a cry of 'Yessir'.

Realizing that she was left alone with the intimidating man, Karin swallowed thickly as she suddenly became aware of the thick blanket of uncomfortable silence between them. She peeked out at him from the sides of her eyes and studied him as subtly as possible.

His dark, long ebony hair framed a strong yet delicate face. And from his face that looked like it was painted by Greek gods on a particularly favourable day, his cold slate grey eyes impassively stared out at the door Jidanbo disappeared through. He was what people would have called 'beautiful' despite his strong jawline and lean figure in his cleanly cut suit.

The only thing unpleasant thing about his face was the slight sneer that suggested that he was impatient.

Karin also noticed that his suit was immaculately pressed and tailored to fit his form perfectly. One quick glance showed that it was probably worth more than her pocket money for a few months. Standing next to him in a gray hoodie and dark skinny jeans with a cap over her high ponytail, she suddenly felt extremely underdressed.

 _He must be one hell of a scary lecturer…Hopefully, not mine._

Glancing back to the front, Karin was about to start drumming her fingers against the counter again but quickly caught herself.

God help her, this silence was starting to become unbearable.

"Found it!"

Shoulders dropping in relief, Karin silently thanked Jidanbo when he finally reappeared through the door with a key between his large fingers. "Here you go, sensei," He handed the key over to the man.

"Thanks." With that said, the man swept past her and disappeared out of the office.

As if he was the one brought tension into the office along with him, they both let out a deep sigh as the heavy tension upon his arrival dissipated.

"Man, he's scary." Karin turned around, scowling slightly. "What does he teach?"

"He is," Jidanbo chuckled. "Unfortunately for you, he is the programme chair of Banking and Finance, and he conducts lectures for students of your course quite frequently." Jidanbo chuckled again when he saw the horrified look on Karin's face.

"Oh greaaaat, can't wait." Karin said unenthusiastically with a scowl.

"Heheheh," Jidanbo scratched his head sheepishly before slipping a paper over to her. "Anyway Kurosaki-san, I need you to sign on this acknowledgment form."

Done what she was asked, Karin slipped the paper back to him. "Oh by the way, my request for a room in your hostels was approved two months ago and my room number is 3024 of the West Wing. I was told that I have to collect my key here."

Jidanbo suddenly looked surprised. "Room 3024?" He gave her a strange look. "Weren't you informed? The water pipes in that room burst last month and your neighbour had to move back to his house because his room was affected as well."

"No, I wasn't, " Karin shook her head with a scowl. "Why didn't the school notify me about that?"

"You didn't get the notification?" Jidanbo looked at her in puzzlement. "It was sent to your school email. Are you sure you didn't receive it?"

"School email? There's a school email?" Karin looked at him, surprised.

"Yes, it's written here," Jidanbo slipped her acceptance letter over to her and pointed to an email written at the bottom of the page. "You were given your school email at the same time the school informed you of their acceptance."

Karin glanced down at the email with stunned realization as she read the paragraph of the letter he pointed out to her.

… _Your school email_ _has been created for you. You are strongly advised to check your email regularly for more information and updates regarding your enrollment…_

Karin looked up with an incredulous look. "But how the hell did I miss…"

Then as if it was cued, she suddenly recalled herself throwing the half-read letter down onto her bed before giddily rushing out of her room to share the news.

"Oh." Her face fell. Idiot.

A heavy sigh escaped her. "So, Jidanbo-san, has the problem been fixed?" She asked hopefully.

Jidanbo shook his head apologetically. "The floor and walls were damaged so your rooms had to be completely renovated. I heard it's going to take a few more months before the rooms become usable again."

Karin felt her stomach sink. "Then where am I supposed to stay now?"

 _You've gotta be freakin' kidding me!_

"I'm really sorry about this, Kurosaki-san." Jidanbo squirmed in discomfort in his chair, looking guilty for something he did not do.

"It's okay," Karin forced a smile. "It's my fault for being so careless. I'll try to figure something out."

"Alright then, I wish you all the best." Jidanbo said, "All you need to do is to find a temporary place to stay and the school would cover the cost for you. Just report back here once you've found a place and I'll do the rest."

"I will." She nodded.

Jidanbo handed her a file of documents. "You'll find your schedule inside this file." He explained. "School will start in four days' time, hopefully you'll find a good place by then."

"Thanks Jidanbo-san." Karin gave him a grin and gathered her stuff before turning to the door.

"Good luck!"

The grin on Karin's face slipped as she walked out the office with a heavy heart.

Aargh, a great school year can kiss her ass!

* * *

Matsumoto Rangiku skipped down the stairs, humming happily as she flipped through the bundle of freshly printed pamphlets in her hands. The strawberry blond beauty let out a mischievous snicker as she gleefully thought of what she had just done.

A certain Ice Prince of Seireitei University was not going to be happy when he finds out but she could care less!

A week ago, she had readily offered to help her favorite cousin (to annoy) Hitsugaya Toushiro, the school's unwilling It Boy to create pamphlets when she learnt that he had finally decided to rent out the other spare bedroom of his two-storey house to earn himself some extra cash.

Busy running the school's Kendo Club as its captain and learning the ropes as the next heir of the Grand Oriental Corporation along with a considerably heavy workload of a sophomore, he eventually gave in to her persistent offer to help him find a tenant.

Remembering that he had specifically told her that he only wanted male tenants, Rangiku looked down at the pamphlets in her hands once more and broke into a grin as her eyes landed on a bold, eye-catching line, 'All are welcome!".

She let out another snicker as she suddenly imagined that big scowl on his face if he were to ever find out that she had typed an 'All are welcome!' line instead. She could practically hear him yell 'Matsumoto!' with full of annoyance in that curt, deep tone of his.

But even without him telling her the reason why he wanted only male tenants, she could easily guess why.

Abandoned by his mother at a tender age, betrayed by his long-time girlfriend who he had loved deeply and the unwanted attentions from the females in their school…

And ever since he had broken up with Hinamori Momo two years ago, he grew more bitter and became more wary of the opposite sex who were especially around his age. Well, except her.

Rangiku felt her mood dampen as she thought about how her cousin wouldn't let any woman get close to him. It was like he had completely given up on his love life. This was especially worrying since the bullheaded old men of the company's advisory board were expecting him to be wedded by the time he took over his father.

The strawberry blond beauty walked down the rest of the stairs with a pretty pout on her face, the spring in her steps lost to her dampened mood.

Preoccupied by her concerns for the twenty year old, she plopped down on the first bench she saw with a perplexed furrow between her neatly trimmed eyebrows.

* * *

Karin looked up from her phone in surprise when she felt the bench under her shifted to a new weight and turned to find a tall curvy strawberry blond woman in a cropped shirt and a pair of skinny jeans sitting on the other end of the bench.

Shrugging, she popped another piece of M&M chocolate into her mouth and returned to her seemingly hopeless search for a room to rent with a heavy sigh. For past fifteen minutes, she had been going around the net to find a place but to no avail, most of them required her to put in a deposit first and they were pretty pricey. A lot of them were pretty far away as well.

Scrolling through her phone with a tired look on her face, Karin let out a groan. Damn, this is hopeless!

It was already coming to five and she was still lugging her bags around. And she haven't even made a call home yet!

"Can I have some of those?"

Karin looked up from her phone the second time and quickly realized it came from the woman beside her. "This?" She raised the packet of M&Ms in her hand when she noticed how the woman's eyes had lingered on it.

"Can I?" The woman asked with a small grin.

"Oh yeah, sure." Karin held the packet out to her. "Go ahead, knock yourself out." She added when she noticed how stressed the woman looked.

"Mmmm," Karin watched the woman relax with a satisfied sigh as she munched on the M&Ms she took from her. "Chocolates are the best! Even better if there was some alcohol in these, don't you think?" The woman suddenly turned to her with a wide smile.

Karin agreed. "Yeah, that'd be nice, huh. Especially when you're stressed now."

"Oh, you're stressed too?" The woman shifted over to her enthusiastically. "Aww, me too. What's your name, dear?"

The way the woman addressed her made Karin smile. This woman reminded her of an older sister.

"Kurosaki Karin. You?"

"Such a nice name, Karin-chan." The woman gushed, clapping her hands together. "I'm Matsumoto Rangiku. Call me Rangiku!" She said cheerfully.

Karin smiled even wider at her cheerfulness and popped another M&M into her mouth.

"Sooooo," Rangiku eyed the girl with a curious look. "What exactly are you stressed over, Karin-chan?" She twirled her hair thoughtfully.

Karin felt her heart sink at the mention of her problem and sighed loudly. "I just enrolled into this school today and I just found out that the room that I'm supposed to stay in had some water pipe problem and I can only use it after the renovation is completed."

She failed to notice how Rangiku's blue eyes had grown wide with a knowing gleam in them."I was told that the renovation's going to take at least a few more months. And so-"

"And so you've nowhere else to stay now?" Rangiku cut in excitedly. "Am I right?"

Karin looked surprised. "Yeah!"

With a puzzled look, Karin watched a smirk creep across Rangiku's face and wondered what it meant.

"Oh thank you so much Karin-chan!" Rangiku crushed the girl to her large breasts, giving her a squeeze before letting go. A stunned Karin blinked back at her when she pulled back. "You've solved my problem!"

Karin frowned. "Huh? What do you mean?"

Rangiku giggled. "Well, you see these pamphlets here?" She gestured to the pile of papers beside her. "A cousin of mine is renting out a room at his place and I offered to help him create these advertisements. And I was kinda worried about finding a tenant for him…"

She wasn't telling the complete truth, of course. It was just that Hitsugaya Toushiro has been avoiding girls his age for far too long! If it needed a girl for him to open up to the opposite sex again, she knew she could count on this girl! She had a good eye for discerning a person's character and she felt that the girl could be trusted.

A gleam of determination appeared in Rangiku's eyes as she turned to Karin. "Since you need a place, why not take up this offer? The house is pretty nice, ya 'know!" She passed a pamphlet to Karin eagerly. "I'll even make sure you get a discount for this!"

Reading the advertisement, Karin felt something lift inside her as she took in the details on the pamphlet. The 'All are welcome' line and the affordable price printed on it were very uplifting.

Karin quickly arrived to a decision.

"Hell yeah, I'll take it!" Karin looked over at Rangiku with a wide grin, returning the pamphlet to the woman. "Thanks, Rangiku!"

"It's the right thing to do for a nice junior like you! Rangiku waved her hand dismissively, chuckling. "Plus, by agreeing to this, you're also helping me in some ways!"

Karin quirked an eyebrow at her.

"I am?"

"Yeah, you are!" Rangiku rose up from the bench with a wink, "C'mon Karin-chan, I'll give you a lift," said the strawberry blond beauty as she started walking.

Realizing she was going to be left behind if she didn't hurry, Karin flew off the bench."Get into the bag already!" She spat at no one in particular as she tried to shove everything she had taken out back into her bag.

Hastily, Karin grabbed the rest of her bags and ran after the busty woman.

* * *

Heaving the weight bar for the eighty-sixth time, Hitsugaya Toushiro could feel his muscles protesting under its weight but ignored them with clenched teeth. His turquoise eyes held a steely gleam in them and his lips were pressed together in a determined line.

 _87…_

 _88…_

His eyebrows furrowed deeper with focus.

 _89…_

 _90…_

Suddenly, a loud, sharp 'ding' sounded from his phone, notifying him of a new text.

Pausing in his workout, the snowy haired man released a deep sigh and set the bar back to its holder before sitting up from the bench. Wiping his face with a towel, he tossed it aside and walked across his spacious bedroom to the study table.

Picking up his phone, the man tapped in his password into the lock on its screen and was instantly greeted by a name. _Matsumoto._

What did she want now? He thought with a sigh and opened the text.

 _Found a tenant~_ _We're on our way!_

 _Be nice!_

 _P.S. giving a discount would be nice!_

* * *

As night drew closer, the orange sky above was starting to turn dark. On the driveway of a small street, a single maroon BMW convertible slowed down and gently came to a halt in front of a house which fence was marked by a name – Hitsugaya.

Karin gazed out at the house from the front passenger seat. "So this is the house?" She turned back to Rangiku expectantly.

"Yup!" Rangiku replied cheerfully. "It's pretty, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is." Karin turned back to the house, nodding.

Set not so far back from the curb and enclosed around by a perimeter of white wooden fence, the cobblestone winding path from the road led up to a medium-sized double storey house which stood between two pine trees. It had white plaster walls with a brick-red tile roof and blue-tinted medium windows.

It was a pretty house like her new friend had promised.

Apart from its appearance, the distance taken between school and this house was also a bonus, being only three streets away.

Except there was one factor she should be concerned about…

Karin glanced over to the woman, slightly scowling.

"But Rangiku, you mentioned that your cousin is a guy right?" Practically growing up with martial arts, she can defend herself perfectly fine but still, any girl would be concerned.

Blinking at her question,Rangiku burst out in chuckles. "Oh no worries, he has no interest in women!" She patted her on the shoulder.

Karin let out a relieved sigh at her reassurance. _So I guess he's a…_

"Go on, don't keep the landlord waiting!" Rangiku shooed.

"You're not coming with me?" Karin glanced over at her in surprise.

Rangiku shook her head vehemently.

There was going to be a high likelihood of him sending Karin away if she came along with her. With a poor stranded girl, it was going to be harder for him to say 'no'. Even with his dislike toward the opposite sex, he was no heartless bastard…right?

Plus, she would be yelled at anyway!

"Nah, I have a TV drama to catch at home," The strawberry blond beauty took a glance at the clock on the car's dashboard and pretended to panic, "Oh no, and I only have ten minutes before I miss its opening song!"

Feeling disappointed, Karin nodded. "Awww man. Oh well…Thanks a bunch."

"Here, take a copy." Rangiku passed her a pamphlet. "Contact me whenever you like, Karin-chan, my number is on the paper."

Her eyes suddenly lit up.

"Ooh, maybe I should bring you around Tokyo before school starts! And we're shop till we drop!"

Karin laughed sheepishly at her comment. Shopping was her least favorite thing to do, but she couldn't bring herself to say that.

"Err, yeah sure!" Karin faked enthusiasm, "Anyway, I'd better get going now." She pushed open the door and stepped out. She heard the other door open as she strode to the boot and saw Rangiku walking over to join her.

With Rangiku's help, unloading her belongings only took a few seconds.

"I'll be off then!" The busty woman pulled open the driver's door. "Remember to send me a text once you've settled down~ and don't worry, I've already ask him for a discount!" She waved and disappeared back into the car.

Waving back at the woman peeking out at her with a smile in the car, Karin watched her turn to the front and drove off.

* * *

Looking down at the pamphlet in her hand, Karin stepped forward and pressed the doorbell. Waiting with a hand in her pocket, her mind wandered back to what Rangiku had told her about her cousin's disinterest in women and snickered to herself.

She had always wanted a gay friend so maybe this could be her chance to make one!

But before she could delve deeper into her thoughts, the sound of shuffling footsteps sounded from behind the door. Snapping out of her reverie when she heard it open, Karin's eyes widened when she found herself staring at a young man only in sweatpants standing by the doorway.

What was more surprising was the snow-white hair he bore.

But then thinking about her own brother's hair, there was nothing strange about it. C'mon, Ichigo's hair was bright orange!

Framed by his short, spiky white hair, his piercing turquoise eyes stared out blankly at her from his handsome face. "Can I help you?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, his voice sounding bored and uncaring.

Clearing her throat in embarrassment, Karin quickly snapped into action when she realized she was gawking.

"I met your cousin, Matsumoto Rangiku, and she told me that you're renting out the extra bedroom of your house." She extended the pamphlet in her hand to him. "And she told me to show you this."

Slowly uncrossing his arms, the boy took the pamphlet and looked down at it with a scowl.

Karin watched him with anticipation.

"So can I come in now?" She demanded, eyeing the boy eagerly. "I have enough to pay for the fee."

Karin couldn't help it.

Everything that had happened to her so far was draining and she couldn't wait to get some sleep.

The expression on his face didn't change at all. If there was any change to it, it was only that his scowl got bigger.

Then the boy suddenly looked up from the pamphlet with an irritated sigh.

"Do you have a pen?"

"Yea, give me a sec." Karin quickly rummaged through her duffel bag for one and quickly found one.

Passing the pen with a curious look, she watched the boy wordlessly click on the pen and write something down on the pamphlet. Not thinking too much about it, Karin patiently waited for him finish whatever he was writing.

Karin looked around idly and stifled a yawn. A hot bath and a good sleep would be nice...

A couple of seconds passed before she heard a 'click' from the pen again. The sound made her look up and her eyes instantly fell onto the pamphlet and her pen that were extended out to her.

"Read it again," said the boy.

Huh?

Taking the pamphlet and pen with a dumbfounded look, Karin watched him turn his back and re-entered the house without another word.

And the door closed.

Giving the door he disappeared through a strange look, Karin looked down at the pamphlet. _What did he just-_

Her eyes widened as her gaze fell onto a certain line in the advertisement. Stunned.

Printed boldly on the paper, the 'All are welcome!' line was now cancelled with two dark, neat lines. And written right above in a slightly cursive handwriting, were two words that made Karin's eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

' **Males Only.** '

 **….**

* * *

 **A/N:** And so this is the first chapter! I'm really nervous about this…Were the characters OOC? I hope not. Please review and let me know what you think! Reviews would be a great way to tell me what you think about this and they will be greatly appreciated!


	2. Girls Are Weird

**A/N:** I'm sorry I took SO long to publish the second chapter because to be honest I've forgotten the story plot for this. And only recently, I came up with an alternative. Anyway, I hope you'll find it decent to read! Thank you so much, please read and review. *hugs*

 **Disclaimer: Bleach does not belong to me.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2 –** Girls Are Weird

* * *

Toushirou glanced back at the door incredulously as he stalked back into the living room, his cold teal eyes blazing with irritation. What was with that ridiculous 'All are welcome' line on that pamphlet?

He paused for a moment and rolled his eyes.

Of course. There could only be one person who would try something like this on him.

With an exasperated sigh, Toushirou plucked the phone out of its cradle and dialled a familiar number with restrained patience. Jaw clenched tightly, he waited until a soft click signified that his call had gone through.

" _Hello?_ " An overly cheery feminine voice chirped. The voice sounded distracted, and Toushirou felt the onsets of a migraine settling in. " _Heeeey - whoever you are - sorry, but I'm kinda busy right now so call me back in five minutes! K bye-"_

"Matsumoto!" Toushirou growled into the phone, voice deep and low with annoyance.

A sharp cry of surprise rang out from the other side followed by a rather unladylike curse, before he heard a loud _thud_.

Did she just drop the phone? Toushirou pulled the phone away from his ear and raised an eyebrow bemusedly at it. Yeap, the line was still connected. Feeling strangely calmer, he held the phone to his ear again and waited for Matsumoto to pick up the phone.

" _Ahem sorry 'bout that, hey Shiro-chaaaaaan! And what did I say about calling me nee-san, my dearest little cousin?"_

Toushirou rolled his eyes at the wall and ignored the second part of her usual whining.

"Don't 'Shiro-chan' me, Matsumoto." Toushirou took a deep breath before releasing it out slowly, "Anyway. Why did you send a woman to my door? And that pamphlet. Didn't I say that I only wanted _male_ tenants?"

" _You did?"_ Matsumoto questioned in a sweet tone, and he could almost picture her blinking her blue eyes innocently at him. " _Hmm that's strange, why can't I remember any of that?"_

Toushirou's eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly. "Yes I did, and at least three times. And you started ranting about how I was gay and how you were never going to get nieces and nephews to spoil and all that bull."

" _And you hung up on me, you meanie! How could you do this to your favourite cousin?"_

Were they really related? Her attention span was worse than a goldfish's.

" _Anyway, how was it? Quite a looker isn't she? And she's got a solid head on her shoulders too."_

"I don't care how she looks, no girls means no girls! So you better tell her to find somewhere else, because I'm not letting her stay."

" _Okay, give me a chance to explain k? I really need to get off the phone now, so I'll go find you tomorrow?"_

Toushirou sighed. If he didn't let her speak, he'd never hear the end of it from her, he knew how persistent she could be. "Fine. You can drop by tomorrow at around three in the afternoon. And do not bring the girl."

" _Okay, I'll see you soon. Shiro-chan! Aren't you excited to see your favourite cousin again so soon?"_

"You're my _only_ cousin, Matsumoto. Bye." He hung up before she could continue, and massaged his temples. He did love her, even if he didn't openly express it, but god, that woman should come with a warning label.

 _Side effects of frequent exposure include migraines, rising blood pressure, and a strong urge to bang your head against the nearest hard object._

Just what exactly did he get himself into?

* * *

"So…" Karin drew her gaze away from the house and to Rangiku who steered the car away from the sidewalk. "What's up with your cousin?" She glanced up from the pamphlet raised a brow at the busty woman.

"Haha, sorry about that Karin-chan," Rangiku threw her a side smile and let out a sigh, "He isn't exactly fond of the opposite sex."

 _So he's that type huh…_ All Karin could think about was the movie she watched a year ago where there was a gay who disliked girls and saw them as competition.

Karin stifled a yawn, stretching her arms over her head lazily. "Nah, don't worry about it." And watched with a confused scowl as the busty woman turned the car into a McDonald's drive-thru.

The car slowed down next to the drive-thru's window and Karin felt her mouth water at the familiar greasy aroma of the fast food restaurant the moment Rangiku drew down the window.

"You hungry?" Rangiku asked as she glanced over to Karin.

Before Karin could reply, her stomach let out a loud growl as if in response to her question.

Rangiku dropped an amused gaze to Karin's stomach with a loud snort. "Apparently, _yes_."

Glancing down at her stomach in surprise, Karin nodded absentmindedly.

"Oh yeah, I'm hungry or should I say _starving_. I think I can eat a damn horse right now." She groaned as she flopped back onto her seat, "I'll have the double cheese burger combo, upsized." Karin added as an afterthought, stifling another yawn.

The edge of Rangiku's lips curled up as she turned back to the waiting staff, musing.

* * *

Standing in the living room, his eyes shifted to the bored look on Karin's face, then to the luggage on the floor and finally to Matsumoto who was grinning too widely. An irritated glare immediately appeared on his face.

Waking up to find them lounging around his living room was the last thing he had expected when he bounded down the stairs in a casual suit for the board meeting his father had requested (or more like demanded) him to attend. He was not quite a morning person and being woken up by a call from his father was not exactly helping his mood.

And now he had to deal with Matsumoto. And the girl.

He was trying his very best to resist the urge to let out a scream of frustration right now.

"Matsumoto, I don't have time for this." Toushirou hissed. "And didn't we talk about this yesterday?"

"It's _Nee-san_ , Shiro-chan, you should be calling me _Nee-san_!" With years of practice, Rangiku was able to expertly ignore the icy glares sent her way. "You're such a meanie. You know my house can barely fit one more person so poor Karin-chan-"

"Yeah I know your house is practically a junkyard. I'm surprise you can even live in that place you call a house, with all that rubbish you have in there." Toushirou dragged a hand down his face. It was way too early for him to deal with this, and he needed his coffee. "I don't care, my answer remains the same. _No._ "

Karin shifted uncomfortably when his eyes met hers.

"Look," A sigh escaped Karin. "I can see that you really don't want me here so I'm sorry for barging in like this."

She glanced over at Matsumoto with a small smile. "Rangiku, I really appreciate your help, but at the same time, I don't want to impose. I'll be fine by myself, really. Besides, I did some research this morning and I saw an advertisement about an affordable apartment up for rent."

"Oh." Rangiku quirked an eyebrow. "You sure?"

"Yeah, thanks again." Karin nodded and turned to Toushirou. "Sorry about this, I'll leave now."

Toushirou merely nodded and they watched her exit the house.

Turning his head to look at the clock once he heard the front door close, Toushirou snatched his keys off the coffee table and shot Rangiku a pointed look. "You heard her, so go home already."

* * *

Today was a disaster. The owner of the apartment she mentioned to Matsumoto was a total creep – he kept eyeing her up and down and reeked of alcohol. That apartment was obviously out of question, and now she was back to square one again.

A heavy sigh escaped Karin at the sight of the night sky above her.

It was unthinkable how much a hassle it was trying to settle down – the only problem she had foreseen before she reached Tokyo was her studies!

It was already night and she was still wandering around with her luggage. Sitting in a bus stop, Karin hugged her soccer ball to her chest as she stared at her house number with a frustrated scowl as a fleeting thought of calling home flashed in her head.

 _Oh yeah, Ichi-nii is going to go nuts if he finds out I'm stuck outside like that._ She let out a heavy sigh before scrolling down to Matsumoto's.

Her face fell as what happened in the morning instantly flashed in her head. And cringing was her instant response to her memories. Looking at the bus stop around her, she felt herself cringe once more.

Involving someone else in her problem again or camping out in this bus stop both sounded _equally_ ridiculous. Again, every single thing that happened except for her encounter with Matsumoto since she set foot in Tokyo seemed that way – nothing was going well for her!

"A bus stop isn't exactly a good choice of accommodation, you know?"

Karin raised her head sharply and found a slick silver car parked in the bus lane. And only to be taken back by surprise to find Matsumoto's cousin peering out from the driver's seat. His face carried the same uncaring look on it as he stared back at her pointedly with a raised eyebrow.

Her surprise was quickly replaced by annoyance.

"Oh _damn_ , I thought it was pretty comfy so I was about to lie down on the ground and take a nap right here. But thanks for letting me know, Captain Obvious." Karin shot him a withering look. She wasn't exactly in the mood to play nice and formal with him.

Ignoring her sarcastic reply, Toushirou eyed her, then over to the luggage beside her, mulling over Matsumoto's words.

He was starting to understand what Matsumoto meant by this girl having a solid head on her shoulders. He barely knew her, so it was strange to say that this girl seemed a bit different from the girls in his school. It was the unexplainable steady vibe she carried that told him right off the bat.

Maybe renting that room out to her wouldn't be so bad.

Besides, the reason he even turned back his car after the first time he passed this bus stop was because of her. Catching the sight of this girl sitting in an empty bus stop with her luggage in the dark, cold embrace of the night was what got his conscience nagging at him. No matter how much he disliked being around girls, he couldn't quite simply drive off and leave a girl out alone to live out in the streets can't he?

He could just test the water first…and kick her out if she fails.

Scowling at the boy in the humming car, Karin looked down at her phone grumpily. "Why the hell are you still here anyway–"

"One week."

Karin glanced up. "Huh?"

"I'll give you one week to find somewhere else to stay, so for now you can be my temporary tenant."

Her soccer ball dropped to the ground as she shot up from the seat in disbelief. "Really? You mean you're willing to rent me that extra room?"

"Isn't that what being a 'tenant' meant?" Toushiro drawled with an uninterested look on his face, "Who's Captain Obvious now?" He murmured as he glanced over at the time on the dashboard.

A curious look swept over Karin's face. "But why the change of mind? Weren't you–"

"I don't have all day." Toushirou cut his gaze over to her sharply, his teal eyes looking even more piercing with calculated patience in them. "Take the offer or leave it."

A flash of surprise on her face at that, Karin swore under her breath and yelled, "Yeah yeah okay, coming!" as she snatched her soccer ball off the ground and grabbed her luggage.

Quickly loading her things into the trunk of his car, she strode over to the passenger seat at the front and pulled it open, only to be met with, "No, sit in the back."

Staring at the mildly irritated look on his face and then to the empty seat beside him, Karin closed the door with a huff of annoyance before proceeding to the rear door.

* * *

The drive to his house was fairly quiet. It involved her asking him questions and him giving her curt answers which mostly consists 'who knows', 'none of your business' and 'ah'. Eventually fed up with his cold responses, Karin gave up and glared holes into the back of his head. The trademark Kurosaki scowl was the dead giveaway that she was pissed.

It did not go unnoticed by Toushirou but it was something he didn't mind.

It was a fresh thing he would gladly choose over those gushing, blushing, stuttering and not-so-subtle glances he experienced almost every day in school. No matter how cold or blunt he gets with the female population in Seireitei (but of course if it meant he could keep them away from him), they don't seem to dislike him for it – were girls always this weird? Or was it him?

Maybe he was a masochist for feeling happy about being the receiving end of her glare and her growing dislike for him, but can anyone blame him for being relieved to find someone who has enough sense to dislike him for the way he acts?

Toushirou cast a glance over to the rearview mirror briefly to catch her yawning before returning his gaze to the road.

"The name's Hitsugaya Toushirou." His deep voice broke into the air of silence quietly, "I don't like people touching my things and sticking their noses into my business." Through the rearview mirror, he saw Karin glance up at him. "So obviously, you're not allowed to step foot into my room or my study."

"Oh, so suddenly in the mood to talk huh?"

Toushirou ignored her, mentally ticking off one house rule. "You're in Seireitei too, right?"

"Don't be too surprised," he added when he caught the look of surprise on Karin's face. "Matsumoto mentioned this to me earlier. Anyway, no one there needs to know you're living with me. Not a word to anyone, got it?"

"Even Rangiku herself?"

"Knowing her, she'll find out eventually." Toushirou rolled his eyes just at the mere thought of how Matsumoto would react finding out about his new tenant. He could only hope that brain of hers wouldn't arrive at some weird conclusion.

"What else?"

"I don't like having strangers in the house, so do not bring your friends over."

Karin's head perked up, her eyes looking at him curiously. "You mean even if they are…guys?"

Slowing the car down at a red light, Toushirou peered over his shoulder once the vehicle come to a complete stop and blinked in confusion at the thoughtful look on the dark-haired girl's face. "What is that suppose to mean?"

But she remained quiet as she stared back at him - he could almost see the gears turning in her head. But what for?

His eyebrows rose when he saw her take in a deep breath and released it through her nose, reminding of his dad when he was about to make a speech.

Karin felt a surge of determination as she leaned forward with a reassuring hand on the shoulder of his seat. "I know I'm just a stranger to you, but I'll have you know that I'm a very open-minded person."

 _That's right Karin, this is the way you should build your friendship with him._

"I'm also a good listener and can keep secrets very well." She offered him her best sincere and reassuring smile, her gaze on him confident. "So don't worry, you can tell me whatever the hell you want. _A_ _nything,_ I promise."

Silence.

Toushirou continued to stare back, stunned. Blinking once, twice before confusion fell upon his face. "What in the world are you talking about?"

"Sorry, maybe I shouldn't bring this up." A sheepish look fell on her face. "It's a sensitive topic, isn't it...?"

" _Huh_?"

"N-Nothing. Nevermind, just drive already. It's turning green."

Toushirou continued to stare at her, incredulous and wary.

Very open-minded person?

Keep secrets well?

Can tell her anything he wants?

Who the hell did she think she is? A therapist?

Narrowing his eyes at her, Toushirou turned back to the road with an exasperated shake of his head.

It wasn't him.

It was them.

Girls.

They are so _damn_ weird.

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay I really don't know what freaking shit I'm writing here but thanks for reading and reviewing! But before anyone points that Karin is OOC or anything, please remember they're all strangers here and Karin would not lash out and be too 'Karin' around them. She's likely to be polite to them therefore she might have seemed a bit formal when she talked at the front. Yep.

I'm sorry if you hate it. Ok bye.

Btw, please please _please_ leave me a review! It'll be so nice to read some!


	3. Can't Keep a Soccer Girl in Place

I was notified by some of you that you received a notification about the third chapter but found the second chapter instead. Sorry about that, I was doing some amendment to the second chapter and I'm not so sure how it happened but ended up uploading it as a new chapter, oops! But no worries, this update is the real thing. Thank you for your patience, I hope you'll like this!

The title of this chapter was inspired by the community that added this story. Thanks a lot!

 **Disclaimer: If Bleach belonged to me, I would have ended it with the logical pair. You know who.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3** – Can't Keep a Soccer Girl in Place

* * *

Toushirou could barely resist the urge to groan out loud. Did he wake up at seven in the morning just for this stupid topic again?

His teal eyes were piercing with calculated patience as he watched the older man continue to pace back and forth in front of the floor-to-ceiling window behind the glass-top desk.

The man had the same white hair and strong teal eyes, bearing so much resemblance to himself that people in his company had joked and speculated that _this_ was how he was going to look like when he reached fifty. It was said that he was practically the carbon copy of Hitsugaya Kazuhiro.

It was very unflattering to be thought as the same as that man. He didn't want to be like his father – Hitsugaya Kazuhiro was cold, calculating and only cared about the company.

But again, it's not like his mother was any better.

Anyone who knew him would know why he resented them both.

His father who didn't care about anything even his own son as long as he could earn profits.

And his mother who knew how his father was and abandoned him. Not a visit or much less a call. The last time he saw her was the day his parents made their divorce official, which was more than a decade ago. She didn't care a bit about him.

It was ironic how his father could be persistent in getting him married when his own was a total disaster (but not that he ever cared anyway). "...The board wants to see you wedded by the time you take my place, son."

Toushirou rolled his eyes. Of course, everything was about the company.

"You can't drag this any longer. You don't even have a girlfriend, and that's worrying us."

Toushirou drew in a deep breath and slowly released it as he tried to keep the urge to snap at the man under control. "Look, I'm still studying so I do not have the time for that kind of bullshit. Is this seriously what you wanted to talk to me about?"

With an irritated sigh, he stood up from the sofa and turned away from the man. "If there's nothing else, then I'm leaving." He began walking toward the door, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"Feel free to focus on your studies, son," the young Hitsugaya came to a pause before the door, "I have enough time to deal with this."

"No," Toushirou cut a sharp, wary look over his shoulder at his father. "Just stay out of my business, old man."

Without another word, he pulled the door open and left the office.

* * *

This wasn't exactly what she had in mind when she visualized her first day of school in Seireitei.

When Karin woke up this morning, the house was already empty and the silver car she rode in on the day she started living in the Hitsugaya household was also gone.

It surprised her when she came to a realization that he had left for school – he had never struck her as the type to reach school early. The blank, uncaring look his face typically bore gave her the impression that he simply didn't give a damn.

Okay, but that wasn't really the thing that had surprised her. It was _this_.

The first thing that greeted her the moment she stepped through the main entrance of the university was the sight of a person with a head of white hair she could recognize right away walking down the hallway, instantly noticing how he was commanding full attention from the rest.

"Look at him, our Ice Prince is still as cool as ever!"

Karin swung her gaze to find it coming from the three girls standing by the administration office. Ice Prince? She raised an eyebrow as she turned back to watch Toushirou's retreating back, letting out an incredulous snort.

 _Oh, they're gonna be so disappointed when they find out the truth._

Shaking her head at the scene, Karin turned away to locate her locker but found herself colliding face-first into a very soft, springy wall.

"Oh my Karin-chan," One that could talk and knew her name. "It's so nice to see you! I've been wondering…" The rest of its words were lost on her as she struggled to breathe when a pair of arms crushed her against it.

Lifting her head the best she could, she quickly realized it was Matsumoto. "Ra-Rangiku, can't…b-breathe."

"Huh?"

"…L-Let go."

A gasp. "Oops, my bad!" Matsumoto jumped back slightly, covering her mouth with a hand as she snickered sheepishly.

Karin released a relieved sigh and cracked an amused smile between pants, trying to catch her breath. "Hey Rangiku, it's good to see you too." Okay, nearly dying from suffocation in someone's boobs weren't exactly what she had in mind either.

"So where are you staying now? You didn't even contact me after you'd settled down. I thought we were going shopping together too!" The pout on Matsumoto's face stretched into a playful grin. "Care to invite me over after school, hmm?"

Laughing at her antic, Karin broke into a grin as well. "Sure–"

Shit. Should she…?

Maybe not yet. "I mean, I can't really. My landlord doesn't like visitors." It was partly true, except she don't think Rangiku could be counted as one.

"Aww, I was thinking of–"

" _Wait, Hitsugaya-sama!"_

Both of them swung their attention to the voice and saw a woman running past them with a pink package in her hands.

"Hitsugaya-sama? Ice Prince?" Karin turned to Matsumoto with a bewildered look. "Seriously?"

Matsumoto burst into laughter. "You have to admit, 'Ice Prince' definitely suits him and he's quite a looker. I guess, that's why the girls love him."

Karin grimaced. Wasn't this something that only took place in high school and below? Apparently she was wrong to think that university was all serious and mature.

* * *

"What the hell? What do you mean you do not accept girls?" Karin glared back at the brown-haired guy who was apparently the soccer captain. She was dressed up in her old soccer jersey from high school she thought was like a good luck charm for her entry into a new team.

Not that she needed one, but why not? It wasn't mere a navy blue jersey with her name and number '2', it was a memento of her hard work and achievements back in Karakura High – a representation of her strength and skills.

"This is a _men's_ soccer club. What do you think?" The captain scoffed and turned away to the field behind.

"But-"

Karin stopped when she realize he was walking away. Her eyes fell to the surname 'Masahiro' on the back of his red jersey.

"Oi Masahiro!"

" _Huh_?" The captain came to an abrupt halt in his tracks and peered over his shoulder with an offended look, an eyebrow nearly twitching with irritation. "Masahiro? What, am I your friend? Stick a 'buchou' to the back or don't use my name at all, tch." He let out another scoff and begin to walk away.

Karin eyed his retreating back and let out a snort of tad amusement. "Fine, Masahiro- _buchou_!" Her eyes nearly rolled.

The captain feets ahead of her suddenly stopped and glanced over his shoulder at her. "Heh, that's more like it." He ran a hand through his messy hair with a half-grin.

"Yeah sure," Karin dismissed his words impatiently, "Now, can you tell me where I can find the girls' team?"

"Girls' team?" Masahiro dropped his hand from his hair from surprise. "We don't have a girls' team."

Karin scowled. "What do you have you don't have a girls' team? They were featured on the school's website."

The shrill sound of a whistle blew from a distance before Masahiro could answer her. They turned to find a man walking into the field and Karin quickly guessed he was their coach.

"Look, I've gotta go."

Karin heard Masahiro curse under his breath as he turned and jogged back to the field, but not before throwing a pointed look behind him. "Join some other clubs!"

* * *

Deciding that it was still fairly early, Karin decided to walk her way back to the Hitsugaya house, draping the net holding her soccer ball over a shoulder. There was nothing really worth thinking about from her first day of school except the apparently non-existing girls' soccer team that had been bugging her ever since she left the field.

Should she really just forget about taking up soccer again?

Karin felt her heart sink at that thought. Coming to Seireitei, being part of a soccer team once again was one of the things she was _really_ looking forward to.

The only other club she thought was something she could join was the kendo club, but on the board for clubs a poster featuring the kendo club had Hitsugaya Toushirou featured on it and she knew she had to cross that club off her list.

Simply visualizing how joining the kendo club was going to be like gave her the shudders. She would bet half her savings and win knowing that half of his club consist of his fangirls.

His popularity was ridiculous.

Even though she hadn't seen or bumped into him since witnessing that scene in the morning, the number of times she came across merely his name was unimaginable.

In the hallways, near the vending machines, in the lecture halls and most frequently in the female toilets. The gushing with the usage of 'Ice Prince' and 'Hitsugaya-sama' irked and amused her at the same. There were a couple of guys who felt the same way as the girls.

She still found it hard to believe that someone can be _that_ popular.

Karin sighed in frustration as she found herself arriving at the same question about soccer and halted in her tracks to glare at the sky above the river she was walking along before swinging a kick out at the soccer ball that had fallen to her side along with the net some time during her thoughts, with a cry of frustration.

Only to feel instant regret when it went flying into the middle of the river.

"Shit!" Karin cursed under her breath, kicked off her shoes and went after her ball.

* * *

With a bored look on his face, Toushirou swept his gaze over the figure who was struggling to pull off her dripping, wet socks at the door before returning his attention to the newspaper he was reading before.

"So I'll take it that you've joined the swimming club." He drawled nonchalantly as he slowly turned the pages.

A colourful string of vulgarities made him look up again to find her stalking past the living room, and watched her disappear up the stairs. Shrugging, Toushirou returned his attention back to his newspaper and continued reading.

With what felt like five minutes later, loud footsteps made him look up from the newspaper again to find her walking over to him with a scowl on her face and a laptop in hand.

"I don't understand." Karin stopped before him.

Toushirou frowned. "Understand what?"

The furrow between his eyebrows grew deeper when Karin pushed away his legs that were resting on the coffee table and placed the laptop on where they were.

"This." She pointed at the screen and all he saw a picture showing a bunch of grinning girls in soccer jerseys and soccer balls at their feet. "I was told that a girls' soccer team doesn't exist in Seireitei. Care to explain?"

Toushirou stared at the screen for a second before lifting his newspaper up, about to continue where he stopped. "Disbanded last year."

"What? Why?"

"Hadn't won for years. A waste of school budget." Toushirou muttered offhandedly, flipping to the next page. "A pretty obvious outcome."

When his words was met with silence, he peered over his newspaper, irritated by her hovering presence, to find her staring intently at the picture. "Can you stare at that picture somewhere else?"

"Hitsugaya," Toushirou's eyebrows shot up when Karin suddenly turned to him with a serious look. "How does one start a club in Seireitei?"

Toushirou sent her a weird look but answered anyway. "Get the form from the office. At least four members must register. Get the person in charge of the clubs to approve and sign."

"But it's not that easy," He added when he saw the hope and excitement on her face, "You need funds too."

"I'll think of a way." Karin answered with a determined look as she grabbed her laptop and headed for the stairs. "Seireitei will have its girls' soccer team again, I promise!"

Staring after her, Toushirou shook his head exasperatedly and returned to his newspaper.

* * *

 **a/n:** Anddddddd that's all for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed this one.

It's kind of difficult for me to write this story 'cause I have the major events for this story, but can't think of the small ones to fill this story up to the major events. So I'll need you to suggest what you would like to read in this story.

So as a part of your review, suggest to me little events that can help me build HitsuKarin here and also, tell me what you think about this chapter. Thank you!


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